This story originally appeared in Mile High Sports Magazine. Read the full digital edition.
On Tuesday, one of the most-storied franchises in all of sports will be making a rare appearance in Colorado. For just the fourth time ever, the New York Yankees will be in Denver to take on the Rockies. The two-game set (June 14-15) figures to once again draw a packed house, as fans of the Bronx Bombers will invade LoDo and fill Coors Field both days.
In the process, they’ll be sure to ruffle a few feathers, something the team with a major East Coast swagger can’t avoid. Not even a bad season can tone down the cockiness, arrogance and brash attitude. Two days of dealing with it will be more than enough; patience will be wearing thin by the time the Yankees leave town.
But those who root for the original team in pinstripes are far from alone in their ability to be annoying; as a state full of transplants, there are plenty of other franchises that have a local fan base that can grate on everyone’s nerves. It happens in every sport, for all sorts of teams.
Here’s my list of the worst offenders. Who makes yours?
5. Boston Red Sox
Truly diehard fans of the Sox are fine; they were a long-suffering group, one that deserves the success the team has enjoyed in recent years. But most of the crowd that invades Coors Field any time Boston is in town is a bunch of rich kids who are hopping on a trendy bandwagon; they even have the intentionally “weathered” ball cap to prove it.
4. Los Angeles Lakers
The ultimate bunch of frontrunners, these are the people who root for the team that wins the most. They’ve hardly ever suffered through any trials and tribulations, something that has become evident the past couple of seasons when the Lakers haven’t been very good. Suddenly, there were a lot fewer folks in purple and gold at Pepsi Center when L.A. was in town.
3. Seattle Seahawks
A lot of these so-called “fans” don’t know anything about the Seahawks prior to 2010; they’re a bunch of newbies that are simply rooting for the latest hip and cool trend, like flannel in the ’90s. As soon as the team starts to struggle or something more fashionable comes along, they’ll hang up their No. 12 jersey and move on to something else; it’s just a matter of time.
2. Chicago Cubs
Very similar to the Red Sox crowd, those who root, root, root for the Cubbies are only doing so because it’s what all of the cool kids are doing; they don’t really care about the team and haven’t suffered through the decades of losing. They’re there to drink beer, tell everyone how great Chicago is and gloat about a team that hasn’t won anything in more than 100 years.
1. Nebraska Cornhuskers
They show up under the guise of being wholesome and nice, but are really mean-spirited and rude. But when they act that way, they simply can’t believe that the opposition would react in a negative manner; in an aw-shucks way, they shrug in confusion when confronted about their antics. They invade in red, behave obnoxiously and then complain about how